The Monstrous-Feminine in Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture PDF
Preview The Monstrous-Feminine in Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture
EAST ASIAN POPULAR CULTURE The Monstrous-Feminine in Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture RAECHEL DUMAS East Asian Popular Culture Series Editors Yasue Kuwahara Department of Communication Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY, USA John A. Lent International Journal of Comic Art Drexel Hill, PA, USA This series focuses on the study of popular culture in East Asia (referring to China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan) in order to meet a growing interest in the subject among students as well as scholars of various disciplines. The series examines cultural production in East Asian countries, both individually and collectively, as its popularity extends beyond the region. It continues the scholarly discourse on the recent prominence of East Asian popular cul- ture as well as the give and take between Eastern and Western cultures. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14958 Raechel Dumas The Monstrous- Feminine in Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture Raechel Dumas Department of Classics and Humanities San Diego State University San Diego, CA, USA East Asian Popular Culture ISBN 978-3-319-92464-9 ISBN 978-3-319-92465-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92465-6 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018942882 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover credit: D-Keine/E+/Getty Images Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer International Publishing AG part of Springer Nature The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Acknowledgements I am deeply indebted to a number of individuals who have supported me in this endeavor and throughout the years. First and foremost, I am grateful to Janice Brown, who has been an incredible mentor, scholarly partner in crime, and friend for nearly a decade. I am thankful also to my dear friend and colleague Chris Lowy, a keen scholar with whom I have shared countless inspiring conversations concerning research projects past, present, and future in Tallahassee, Tokyo, Boulder, Seattle, and beyond. Thank you also to my friend and colleague David Holloway for our many thought-provoking chats, and for taking the time to provide feedback on portions of this manuscript. I am grate- ful also to Laurel Rasplica Rodd, David Atherton, Eric White, and Faye Kleeman for their guidance and encouragement. I am indebted also to the team at Palgrave Macmillan, and especially Shaun Vigil and Glenn Ramirez, along with my reviewers, for having faith in this project, as well as for their feedback as I worked toward its completion. I would also like to thank Veronica Hollinger and the anonymous readers at Science Fiction Studies, which published an ear- lier version of Chapter 3 of this book in March 2018, and which has graciously consented to its inclusion here. I am likewise grateful to v vi Acknowledgements my friends and colleagues at San Diego State University for their sup- port, and to my students, who have been an endless source of inspira- tion throughout the years. I would like to thank also several friends and family members with- out whom none of my achievements would have been possible: my father Phil and stepmother Shirley for their tireless support of my endeavors, and for nurturing my love of all things horror (okay, the lat- ter is all on Dad); my sister Olivia, for her love and support; and my grandparents Freda and Grady, for everything. Finally, I am deeply grateful to Jesse, my dearest friend, and John, my partner, who now know more about monstrous wombs than they ever thought there was to know, and who have been sources of unflagging patience, encourage- ment, and love. Contents 1 Open Wounds: Situating the Monstrous-Feminine in Contemporary Japan 1 2 The Girls That Never End: The Infinite Seduction of Tomie and Ring 21 3 Xenogenesis: Monstrous Mothers and Evolutionary Horrors in Contemporary Japanese Science Fiction 57 4 Faces of Horror, Dances of Death: Female Revenants and Suburban Hauntings in New Millennial Japanese Horror Films 89 5 Corrupted Innocence, Sacred Violence, and Gynoid Becomings: The Monstrous-Feminine on the Gaming Scene 131 vii viii Contents 6 Disobedient Bodies, Monstrous Affinities: Reframing Female Defilement in Natsuo Kirino’s The Goddess Chronicle 171 7 The End? 207 Index 213 List of Figures Fig. 2.1 Photographic horrors (Ringu) 47 Fig. 4.1 The kuchi-sake onna (Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman) 102 Fig. 4.2 Kayako (Ju-On: The Curse) 113 Fig. 5.1 Split head (Silent Hill) 136 Fig. 5.2 Monstrous double (Siren) 154 Fig. 5.3 Self-negation (Zero) 159 ix
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